Elastic fabric



March 26, 1935. J. T. CALLAHAN 1,995,734

ELASTIC FABRIC Filed oct. s, 193s y J Y zur.

Patented Mar. 26, 1935 ELASTIC FABRIC John T. Callahan, Waban, Mass.,assignor to ArcherRubber Company, Milford, Mass., a. corporation ofMassachusetts Application October 3, 1933, Serial No. 691,945

1Claim.

This invention pertains to elastic fabric of the kind in which textilematerial is combined with sheet rubber, and to a method of making such afabric, and in the specic embodiment 5 herein illustratedrelates toporous or perforated fabric desirable for use in the manufacture ofgarments such, for example, as reducing girdles, corsets, -sport vests,jackets, etc.;-bandages, pads, gloves, hat or shoe parts, or wherever itis desired to have the garment or garment-part fit the wearer snugly andsmoothly but Where for comfort it is usually desirable to provide forventilation and the escape of moisture.

While it is possible by known methods of textile manufacture, forexample, by weaving or knitting, to produce elastic and porous materialin Vwhich individually elastic yarns or threads of rubber aresubstituted for some at least of the usual textile yarns, or by theincorporation of tensioned elastic rubber strands with and in additionto the usual textile strands during weaving or knitting-the elasticmaterial thus produced is unduly expensive for many of the purposes forwhich elastic fabrics are desirable and loses its elasticity after ashort period of use so that garments made therefrom do not long holdtheir original shape. For this reason, the material most commonlyemployed for such purposes consists of rubber sheeting having one orboth sides united to and covered by textile fabric of a type which iscapable of stretching to a substantialextent, at least in /onedirection, such composite fabrics being durable and retaining theirelasticity for a long time. Knitted fabric is almost universallyemployed as the textile layer in such composite elastic material byreason of its relatively high elasticity as compared with usual types ofWoven fabric. While rubber sheeting alone, that is to say, unassociatedwith textile material, might perhaps be used for some purposes ingarment manufacture, it is desirable, and substantially necessary, formost purlposes to associate. textile fabric with the sheet rubber. Sucha textile fabric gives added strength to resist abnormal stresses and tofurnish a secure anchorage for attachments, such asv garters or thelike. Furthermore, many wearers nd unprotected rubber to be hot, sticky,irritating, and uncomfortable in direct contact with the skin and forthis reason prefer to have the inner surface of the sheet rubber coveredwith textile material of a soft and non-irritating character. Moreover,an extended outer or exposed surface shades, does not harmonize wellwith the daintiness of texture of other articles of modern types ofunderwear, and tends to adhere to other garments with which it contacts,and for these reasons it is customary to cover the outer side of thesheet rubber with atextile material.

Many garments are made from combined rubber and textile material withoutany provision whatever for ventilation or the escape of moisture, butthey are not comfortable, sanitary or hygienic. It is possible to`provide a reasonable degree of porosity by providing perforations in thecomposite fabric, for example, by punching out small portions at regularintervals, thus forming multitudinous perforations or openings adaptedto permit a reasonable degree of ventilation and escape of moisture.However, experiments have shown that;(owing to the fact that the onlytextile material commonly employed for the purpose and possessing thedesired elasticity is knitted fabric having the inherent structuralcharacteristic of running, forming ladders of dropped stitches wheneverone or more of its constituent loops is ruptured) the composite rubberand textile material, when perforated as above suggested, is subject,when stretched during use,'to the formation of longitudinally extendingruns starting at the perforations. Such runs, when the stretching stressis removed, form outstanding wales or ribs in the surface of the fabricwhich detract from its appearance, giving it a worn and unsightlyeffect. Moreover, when the knitted material forms the inner surface ofvthe composite fabric and is of relatively fine yarn and closelyknitted, it has but little capacity for absorption of moisture and thusis but little better or more comfortable Athan bare rubber while themoisture which escapes through the perforations tends to loosen thefabric of the edge of the perforations, thus further shortening theuseful life of the fabric.

Among the objects of the present invention are to providea very durableelastic fabric useful for the manufacture of garments, for example, ofthe type above referred to, and particularly a fabric of the compositesheet rubber and textile type and of such construction as to pr 'videthe desired elasticity, durability, strength `and. pleasing externalappearance, and comfort to the wearer, and more specifically to providesuch a fabric having capacity to furnish the desired ventilation andescape for moisture, While at the same time to avoid the production ofruns or ravel ribs on the exterior surface of the material which detractfrom its original finished appearance.

In accordance with one embodiment 'of my invention, I reinforce thesheet rubber, to insure the desired strength, by adhesively uniting aweb of elastic textile fabric to the inner surface of the rubber,preferably employing a textile fabric which is or may be napped to givea soft, uii'y inner surface for direct contact with the wearers skin,such a surface being very absorbent. To impart the desired finish to theouter surface of the rubber, I adhesively unite a layer of flock, thatis to say, finely divided and very short fibrous material, for examplecotton, wool, silk, rayon, etc., such layer being applied in any usualmanner known to those skilled in the art. After the composite fabric hasthus been formed, and preferably before the rubber constituents of thefabric have been cured, the fabric is perforated by punching orotherwise, and afterward cured.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein I have illustrated certainembodiments of the invention by way of example,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation illustrating the outer side of myimproved composite fabric;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the inside of the improved fabric inaccordance with one mode of construction, and showing a portion of theunnapped textile web highly magnified;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section to large scale substantially on the line3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing the appearance of the outside ofthe fabric and indicating the normal shape of the perforations and alsotheir shape when the fabric is stretched;

Fig. 5 is an elevation to small scale illustrating a garment such as maybe made from the improved fabric;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 3, but to even largerscale, illustrating the effect of punching the composite fabric beforeits rubber constituents have been cured;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 3, illustrating amodification;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 illustrating a further modification;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section illustrating a still furthermodification;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary front elevation to large scale illustrating acomposite fabric of usual construction having the outer surface of therubber covered with knitted textile fabric, and indicating the effect ofstretching such a fabric after it has been perforated;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, but to smaller scale, indicatingthe resultant surface appearance of the fabric after the stretchingstress has ceased and the fabric has resumed its normal unstretchedcondition, and

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 8, but showing the use of a spongerubber layer.

Referring to the drawing, my improved fabric preferably comprises asheet rubber core 1 which may be of any desired thickness or gauge inaccordance with the purpose for which the fabric is to be employed. Thisrubber sheet may be prepared in accordance with any of the usual methodsand by any of the accepted formulas, and may be colored or tinted tosuit the requirements of the trade.

To that side of the sheet rubber which is to form the inner orbody-contacting surface of the garment, when made, I preferablyadhesively secure, by methods well known to the manufacturer of rubberfabrics, a web 2 of highly elastic textile material. For this purpose Ihave found that a knitted fabric is well adapted, although I contemplatethat other elastic textile webs may be employed instead of a knittedweb, if preferred. Specifically, I have in mind the possibility ofweaving a highly elastic textile fabric which would be suitable for thispurpose.

Preferably, before association with the rubber sheet, that surface ofthe textile web which is to be exposed, is napped in accordance withwell known textile practices to provide a fluffy or brushed fibroussurface 3, but I contemplate the possibility of attaching the textileweb to the rubber sheet before this napping process has been carried outand afterward napping the textile layer to produce the fibrous surface.Such a fibrous inner surface is Very desirable by reason of its highlyabsorbent qualities, and because it provides a soft and silky surfacefor contact with the wearers skin. Nevertheless, I contemplate thepossibility of leaving this textile web unnapped. Preferably the rubbersheet or core 1 is uncured or only partially cured before attachment ofthe textile web thereto. After the textile web has thus been combinedwith the rubber sheet, I adhesively secure to the opposite face of therubber sheet, (that is to say, that face which will be the outer face ofthe garment) a layer 4 of flock. By flock I mean finely divided fibrousmaterial such as is produced by cutting cotton, wool, silk, rayon, etc.,so as to provide fiber of extremely short but substantially uniformlengths or by grinding the same or similar materials almost to thecondition of dust. Preferably, this fiock is treated in some appropriatemanner, for example, by impregnation with paraffln, insoluble soap,cellulose compound, resin or the like, to make it waterproof or moisturerepellent before or after application to the fabric. This layer of flockmay be applied and adhesively secured to the rubber sheet in accordancewith any usual method of procedure familiar to those skilled in thisart, for example, by the employment of an adhesive layer 5, preferably arubber compound.

After the layer 4 of fiock has been applied to the outer surface of therubber sheet, the composite fabric thus resulting is subjected to apunching or other equivalent process thereby to produce a multitude ofsmall holes or perforations 6 extending completely through th thecomposite fabric, that is to sa through the layer 4 of flock, the rubbercore l and the textile web 2. To provide the desired porosity, suchperforations may for example, be of the order of 3/64 of an inch indiameter and spaced on centers from 1A to 1/2 inch apart, but any otherdesired size of opening and any selected spacing and distribution ofopenings may be employed as circumstances seem to warrent. .Moreover,for use in garments of the type referred to, the composite fabric maybe'of the order of 50 gauge, but this invention is not limited toany'particular thickness of material.

After the sheet has thus been perforated, it is cured and is then readyfor use in making up garments, such for example, as the reducing girdle7 illustrated in Fig. 5. When thus made up into a garment, the outer orexposed surface presents a pleasing appearance quite different from thatof plain rubber, due to the layer of fiock, the appearance of this layervarying with the material used as a fiocking substance,-in someinstances appearing much like suede leather and in others having a silkyvelvety appearance of a highly ornamental character. Alternatively, asshown in Fig. 12, instead of providing a solid thickness of layer ofrubber which must subsequently be perforated, I contemplate the use of asponge rubber layer 14 of so porous a character as to provide thedesired escape for moisture without necessitating the perforatingoperation.

When a garment made of this material is subj ected to lateral stretchthe perforations 6 stretch laterally as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 4, becoming more or less elliptical in contour, but when the strainis removed these openings resume ,their normal circular shape. Eventhough the openings be stretched to a size just short of that whichwould result in tearing 'the fabric, they resume their normal shape whenthe stress ceases, and the surface appearance of the material is notinjuriously affected. In other words, stretching the material, even toan abnormal degree, does not appreciably injure or deface its outersurface, so thatthe layer of flock may well be designated a stretchable,non-ravelling textile layer. v

Preferably, as above noted, the perforations are formed before therubber constituents of the material, that is to say, the rubber core 1and the rubber adhesive layer or layers, if any,-used in attaching thesurface layers, have been cured, since I yrind from examination of thefinished fabric that when thus perforated before curing, portions 4c ofthe flocking material are carried down during the punching operationinto the mouths of the perforations and become embedded in the walls ofsuch perforations and some of the fibrous elements 8 of the nappedtextile web are likewise bent over and embedded in the walls of theperforations. When the fabric is subsequently cured, these fibrouselements of the flocking material and of the web are firmly anchored inthe walls of the perforations, thus giving a more finished appearance tothe fabric, and in the case of the flocking material, at least,assisting to prevent moisture, which escapes through the perforations,from detaching the ock adjacent the perforations, which would result ina defaced fabric. On the other hand, the embedding of the nap bers ofthe textile web in the walls of the openings, tends to prevent the readyformation of runs, or ravelling of the knitted textile web. Preferably,the punching is done by protrudingv a hollow punch through the fabricfrom the flocked surface inwardly through the core 1 and fabric 2, sincethe perforations thus made are more uniform at the outer or flocked sideof the material, but acceptable results may be obtained if the fabric ispunched from the back or napped side. For rapid workrgang-punches areemployed, and such punches may be mounted on reciprocating platens or onrollers, as preferred.

In Fig. l0 I have illustrated the usual effect of stretching a compositefabric comprising rubber having an outer surface of knitted material andwhich has been perforated. In this instance, the fabric comprises therubber sheet la having the knitted material 9 adhesively secured theretoand having perforations such as the opening 10 extending through theknitted fabric and through the rubber. When such a fabric is laterallystretched, the knitted loops which have been cut in formingtheperforations tend to run and form a ladder l1 extending downwardlybelow each perforation. If the strain be prolonged these ladders may rundown the fabric as far as the next perforation. When the strain is'removed and the fabric resumes its normal condition, these ladder loopsbunch up and form run ribs 12 (Fig. 11) which project from the outerface of the fabric below each opening. Since such run ribs are notuniform, but are fibrous and ragged, their presence greatly detractsfrom the appearance of the fabric, making it appear to be worn and old'even though it may not have been in use for any substantial length oftime.

In accordance with my present invention no such effect is produced bystretching my improved fabric, the outer surface of which retains itsnormal appearance throughout a long period of wear.

For certain purposes I nd it unnecessary to employ the inner textile web2, and thus as illustrated in Fig. 7, I may employ the rubber core 1having its inner surface 'lit uncovered but having its outer surfaceprovided with a layer of flock 4 adhesively secured thereto in the samemanner as above described. This fabric is provided with perforations 6to give the desired porous characteristics,

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a further modication in which the rubbercore 1 is furnished with the textile web 4b at its inner side, and withthe flock layer 4 at its outer side, but in this instance the textileweb 4b is not napped. In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a still furthermodification in which the core 1 is provided with a layer 4 of flock onits outer surface and with a similar layer 4c of iiock at its innersurface.

While for most purposes my improved fabric is desirably perforated, Icontemplate that in its broader aspects the invention is inclusive ofim.

perforate fabrics comprising a sheet rubber core having one face coveredwith an elastic textile web and having its other face provided with alayer of flock. Doubtless, other specific modifications of the inventionwill occur to those skilled in the art but all such modifications asfall within the scope of the appended claim is to be regarded as withinthe purview of this invention.

I claim:

A composite porous elastic fabric comprising a sheet of rubber having amultitude of ventilating openings passing through it, one face at leastof the rubber being provided with a layer of fiock adhesively united tothe rubber, the iiock extending into the mouths of the openings andbeing firmly anchored to the walls of the latter.

' Joran T. CALLAHAN.

